SHERIFF WAS PAID $400,000+ TO HOLD CA BUSINESSMAN AND FAMILY TO EXTORT THEM AT GUNPOINT
Retired Detective Steven Lankford, left, is shown in a June 4, 2018, image source: the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
BY ANDREW JIMENEZ
Chinese Nationals Hired Retired Los Angeles Sheriffs for Hostile Takeover of Business. In a shocking turn of events, federal prosecutors have charged two former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and two former foreign military officials with orchestrating a violent extortion scheme. The incident, which took place in Irvine, California, involved the kidnapping and coercion of a business owner and his family.
On June 17, 2019, Steven Arthur Lankford, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy, and Glen Louis Cozart, a former Sheriff’s Department deputy, along with Max Samuel Bennett Turbett and Matthew Phillip Hart, both former military officials from the UK and Australia, carried out a raid on the home of a Chinese business owner. The raid was allegedly financed by a wealthy Chinese national embroiled in a business dispute with the victim.
The Scheme: The four men, described by officials as a “mercenary group,” entered the victim’s home under the guise of a legitimate law enforcement operation. They detained the business owner, his wife, and their two children for hours. The victim was reportedly slammed against a wall, choked, and threatened with deportation and permanent separation from his 4-year-old son.
Fearing for his and his family’s safety, the victim signed documents relinquishing his multimillion-dollar interest in a business, Jiangsu Sinorgchem Technology Co. Ltd., a China-based rubber chemical manufacturer.
The Perpetrators are Steven Arthur Lankford: A retired deputy who stopped working for the department in 2020. He allegedly flashed his sheriff’s badge before entering the victim’s home. Glen Louis Cozart: A former deputy who worked for the department from 1982 to 1995. He has a history of legal troubles, including allegations of planting false evidence and perjury. Max Samuel Bennett Turbett: A former member of the British military and a UK citizen and Matthew Phillip Hart: A former member of the Australian military.
Legal Proceedings: All four men (the two Americans, the British national and the Australian national) have been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion, conspiracy against rights, and deprivation of rights under color of law. They have pleaded not guilty and were released on bond.
Implications: This case highlights the lengths to which individuals will go to resolve business disputes and the dangers of abusing positions of authority. The involvement of former law enforcement and military officials in such a scheme is particularly troubling and underscores the need for accountability and oversight.
